But Indonesia tells vapers to smoke

Fergus Mason, Vaping Post

A prominent New Zealand public health expert has urged faster and more ambitions progress towards vaping as a harm reduction option, while Britain’s doctors’ union – an ugly exception to the country’s positive approach to vaping – now seems to be taking a more positive tone. However, Indonesia’s government stunned health campaigners last week by openly telling vapers to go back to cigarettes – and California activist Stanton Glantz tried to match that with some fresh madness of his own.

Dick Puddlecote

Longer term readers here will remember the fiasco of the plain packs campaign in the UK. The often fraudulent abuses of process, democracy and common decency were quite shocking and this article would turn into a mini-book if they were all listed here. But here is a reminder of a few highlights:

The Government must support it – Mark Pawsey

For the first time, Public Health England has been actively encouraged smokers to consider vaping (aka e-cigarettes) as part of their attempt to quit smoking.

I should begin by saying that I am not a smoker, or a smoker-turned-vaper. But I took a personal interest because of the stories my constituents were telling me of their success in breaking their smoking habit through vaping.

Dustin Erickson, ChurnMag

Once again it’s Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos that is fighting the good fight against false vaping information. This time he is calling into question research that was recently presented as part of the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. The study in question was just published last week and was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Their report claimed to prove that the vapor produced by Heat not Burn (HnB) technology was as impactful to Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD), as traditional tobacco smoke.

Won’t Just Hurt Our Business, It’ll Risk Your Health

Ontario’s Liberal government is attempting to sneak through legislation that will lead to death and disease, destroy small businesses, ignore the rights of consumers and protect the cigarette business. It is time to put complacency aside and scream.

I proudly own a vape shop. I get called a lot of things as a strong-minded woman willing to speak my mind in a misunderstood industry. But one thing that I hate being called is “vaping enthusiast.” Seriously, folks?

Salynn Boyles

The FDA has announced a change in strategy for regulating nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, with the aim of ushering in new products that can help cigarette smokers quit.

In a blog post published on the agency’s site on Wednesday afternoon, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, and two other agency officials announced the formation of a Nicotine Steering Committee charged with “re-evaluating and modernizing” FDA’s approach to NRTs.

Senior Medical Officer of the National Chest Hospital Dr Terry Baker is urging Jamaicans to stay away from using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), warning that they are dangerous and should not be viewed as a viable option to regular cigarettes.
Baker said that although e-cigarettes have been put forward as a safer alternative to cigarettes, dangers still abound.

Value Walk

Now that 2017 is concluding, there are some bad habits that we wish to leave behind in the New Year, and one of those is smoking. As an alternative, many experts recommend vape or e-cigarettes as a cessation device. In fact, most people who have been smoke-free for years now can say that it took them several methods – including vaping – just to overcome the struggles while on the journey of quitting smoking- especially when nicotine withdrawal symptoms kick in.

To Bet On The E-Cigarette Market

Cigarette smoking in the United States has dropped to the lowest level in generations, at 15.1% , according to the latest data supplied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). The US has also witnessed the steepest decline in the smoking rate in the world. While this is good news, it has forced companies such as Altria ( MO ) to focus its efforts on looking for growth from other alternatives

A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise….

Response to EU on taxing vaping and other reduced risk products

Clive Bates, The Counterfactual

European Commission consultation: the Commission is consulting on applying excise duties (i.e. tax) to vape products and other reduced risk alternatives to smoking – see here for consultation page with online form for interested parties to complete – please do add your response.

ASH Hate Them All – Dick Puddlecote

So, after months of hearing about the things, Philip Morris have today launched their iQos ‘heat not burn’ system in the UK (albeit only in London).

The press have avidly taken up the story, most probably due to PMI CEO Andre Calantzopoulos dangling the media-friendly suggestion that the global company “could stop making conventional cigarettes”. This is not a new claim, there have been a lot of articles recently where he has been interviewed about this new stance, it’s just something the British press has only now picked up on, presumably from the PR.

Mawsley – Planet of the Vapes

Lawyers are being advised that despite tobacco companies winning a victory against a class action lawsuit this week, the future opens up a potential for further claims to be made against them – and independent companies.

A class action lawsuit involves a group of people with an identical or similar complaint caused by the same product. Instead of multiple similar cases being brought to court, the entire group sues a defendant. In this case, a suit was filed by plaintiffs in New York, Illinois and California against a group of tobacco companies